How to apply
Apply for funding
We work mostly by invitation. Unsolicited applications are rare. This page describes how to reach out if your work clearly fits one of our priorities.
Before reaching out
The most useful thing you can do is read our program areas first. We appreciate when people have taken the time to understand our priorities — and we'd rather decline a clearly-described project that isn't a fit than fund one that's been reframed to look like one.
We're happy to meet people doing animal-protection work that isn't a fit for us. Just be straight about what the work is.
Eligibility
We fund organizations doing animal-protection work in the United States — primarily local and statewide. We are open to U.S. fiscal sponsors of unincorporated efforts; we are open to projects that operate as fiscally sponsored programs of larger organizations.
We do not fund:
- Individual people or research projects without an organizational home.
- Work primarily focused outside the United States.
- Organizations whose primary mission is not animal protection.
- Capital campaigns or facility construction.
- Litigation as a stand-alone strategy (we may fund litigation as part of a broader campaign).
Process
- Read about our programs. Make sure your work fits one of our three areas.
- Email a brief inquiry to grants@zoafund.org — see "What to include" below.
- We respond within two weeks. If your work is a fit, we'll ask for a fuller proposal.
- Decisions typically take 4–8 weeks from full proposal.
What to include in your inquiry
- A one-paragraph description of your organization (mission, location, year founded).
- A clear statement of the work you'd like funded — what the problem is, what your approach is, and what the win condition looks like.
- A proposed budget range and timeline.
- How you found us and why you think it's a fit.
We don't require a formal LOI or templated proposal at this stage. A clear two-page email is more useful than a long PDF.
What to expect from us
We engage as partners, not just check-writers. If we fund your work, expect strategic conversations, introductions across the funder and movement networks, and honest feedback. We aim to make the process clear and the relationship durable.